On a warm June evening, Year 12 collected for a quick picnic on the steps of the British Museum before embarking on a ‘World Evening of Belief and Faith’. Workshops included an Islamic calligraphy demonstration, beautiful Buddhist fly whisks and a recital from St. Patrick’s Gospel choir, (which gave three of us the opportunity to reprise our Walsingham debut!) However, we were particularly excited to have the chance to attend a lecture entitled ‘What Is Religion?’ by Karen Armstrong, as although she is now a renowned theologian and author of a myriad of books, we were aware that she was once a teacher here at JAGS! Armstrong was a really dynamic speaker and we were enthralled for the full hour. She expanded many ideas that we had encountered during our AS philosophy of religion course, highlighting the fact that humans are distinct from animals in always seeking something transcendent. She used the example of a moving piece of music, or a breathtaking sunset and emphasized that although these are not religious phenomena, they can touch us within, illustrating the idea that humans will always connect to their innate spirituality.

Some people believe that religion arose from myth and is simply an early form of psychology, to overcome a fear of external forces e.g. violent storms, droughts and of course, death. In Armstrong’s opinion, religion is more of a source of comfort and consolation than an explanation for life’s mysteries. She argues that collectively, religions serve as a programme for life. “Religion tells of how to get to heaven, not how the heavens go”. In other words, religion should teach the importance of how to live properly.

Nicole Ocansey and Rosemary Winter, Y12